A Riverdale Runs Through It
by gardy77
Summary: This is a Riverdale Reboot, Rewrite based on the popular CW series. it will also crossover with the old CW series Smallville from a few years back. In my fic Riverdale will feature more action adventure and angst than the comic book series but will not be as dark as Riverdale. The story starts from scratch as the popular characters meet during their junior year at Riverdale High.
1. Chapter 1: Riverdale Reboot

**Riverdale: Reboot** _ **– I don't own any rights to Archie Comics characters**_ **.**

Author's note: _So now we have the new CW series called Riverdale based on Archie Comics. I've been a fan of Archie Comics since I was in elementary school. The first comic book I ever read was a 1969 Archie Comic titled 'Betty and Veronica'. What I'm writing is a more traditional Archie Comic fan fic._

 _CW's focus seems to be on a darker, meaner series. I really don't like it. I get that this is the 21_ _st_ _century, and many old Archie Comics tended to be childish and overly idealistic. I'm going for a happy medium with my story. The problem is how to make Archie and his crew less uncool but not twisted, dark, and perverted like the current series. Archie, Betty, and Veronica's love triangle is filled with classic angst._

 _I'll be running my fan fic as a combination series of adventure, angst, and friendship. I'll continue to challenge myself with this fan fic. Please enjoy and keep an open mind. Also, I have some similar fan fic series over on the Smallville section, as well as a lighter, more positive take on the Gotham TV series._

 _Scene – Riverdale High School Episode 1_

A tall, thin, lanky boy lopes through the school's well- lit corridor and stops before a door clearly labeled 'School Counselor'. He sighs deeply before entering the secure room. Two teachers are seated on one side of a good-sized table. "Come in, William." A middle aged female teacher with brown and slightly graying straight hair offers. She has her laptop open and a pad of lined ruled paper beside it.

"Yes. Hello William." An older male teacher says as he smiles pleasantly. He is quickly balding and is heavy set with a large wide face, and thick puffy cheeks. "Miss Grundy. Mr. Weatherbee." The teen greets them warily. The student has thick black hair about shoulder length tied in a short neat ponytail. His face is gaunt, and he sports a barely noticeable goatee on his thin chin.

Compared to the more trendy students, William is dressed oddly in a retro style. He is about sixteen, and is wearing a green army camouflage button down shirt, a black leather vest with a gold paisley print throughout. His open vest is decorated by a few pins. Among the pins of his collection are included a small American flag, two or three more that display the names of his favorite rock and punk bands, and a larger pin in the style of the 1960's Peace sign.

He's wearing wrinkled and torn blue jeans, and his shoes are actually low cut, low healed black leather boots. He takes a seat opposite the two teachers and respectfully removes his worn out looking US Marines style brown beret, which was highlighted with a tarnished brass American eagle pin at its center. "William, this is simply our yearly counseling check- up that is required by the local board of education, and thus is worth one class credit hour per semester." Mr. Weatherbee informed him.

"The principal and I hold these sessions with every student." Miss Grundy added. "Obviously not to ignore the five hundred pound gorilla in the room, but how did the recent tragic death of Jason Blossom affect you?" William slouched in his chair. "It was sad. I didn't really know him well, but he seemed like a decent dude." He replied casually. "Is his killer still on the loose?"

"We haven't received any new information William." Mr. Weatherbee answered. "I can assure you and the rest of the student body that the campus is safe, and we have increased security throughout. This is still one of the safest towns in the area, as we have recorded only three murders in the last three years."

William made a mental note of that fact. Did one murder per year establish a pattern? He silently wondered. After Jason's death, he and his best friend, Archie Andrews, had looked into the suspicious circumstances. Each of the three deaths occurred around the same date per year. Had it been a coincidence? The teen sleuths had been unable to add anything useful to the murder cases so far.

"In any event, William, have you had any major problems recently?" Miss Grundy asked the expected series of questions. "No. I'm good." The teen responded shortly. "Good." Weatherbee put in. "We've examined your file for the first two years here at Riverdale High School."

Miss Grundy called up something on her laptop. "In the last four semesters you have received average to slightly above average grades in all of your electives and required subjects." She added. "Your grade point average never wavered more than a few percentage points from 2.5, which is exactly in the middle of the scoring range. There's nothing wrong with that, I must point out, provided that you are always doing your best. This places your class ranking perfectly in the middle of your classmates."

"All of your homework has been turned in on time, and you have rarely ever been tardy." Weatherbee jumped in. "On those few occasions, your mother has vouched for your tardiness, and we have seen some improvement." By now, Grundy had finished her analysis and printed the evaluation out.

"Here's what really concerns us, William." Grundy continued. "You don't have a single extracurricular activity listed in your credits. We'd like to see you volunteer for some after school activities, during your next two years at Riverdale High. If you add one extracurricular activity per semester, you can receive an additional two credits towards your graduation."

"What do you like to do, William?" Weatherbee had thrown down the gauntlet. "Eat." William Jones answered. "Uh…eating is good." Weatherbee stuttered. "Anything else?" He prodded. "I like to do things with my hands, like fix cars, paint walls, and such." William replied worriedly. "Great. You can now take auto shop class, and possibly carpentry and maintenance classes."

"However, that is not an extracurricular activity." Grundy pointed out. "Those are electives." Weatherbee reddened slightly as Grundy corrected him. "I like music." William Jones thought quickly on his feet while giving them both a blank stare. "Music is good." Weatherbee responded excitedly. "What do you like, Bach, Beethoven, Vivaldi?" William gave him another blank stare. "Rock." He replied simply.

Weatherbee sighed deeply. "What instruments do you like specifically?" Grundy seized the opportunity. "I always liked the drums, maybe the guitar and bass as well." To illustrate his point, William tapped his fingers on his laptop cover, pounding out an old Led Zeppelin tune. "How about joining the school marching band?" Weatherbee pitched. "No thanks. I'm not into marching." William said flatly.

"Have you considered trying out for one of our fine sports teams?" Weatherbee pleaded. "We can sponsor football, softball, soccer, or volleyball teams." William shook his head slowly.

"Sorry. No thanks. I'm not into sports unless it involves eating a few hot dogs at a ballgame." Jones opined. Again, Weatherbee let loose a loud sigh, and Grundy typed a few sentences into her laptop. "William, I'm going to recommend that you take up professional cooking and music appreciation classes for your extracurricular card. You can acquire a half credit for each of the following semesters. We were actually worried that you may not have enough credits to graduate at this rate. You'd like to graduate with your classmates, and you don't want to get left behind?" Grundy challenged.

"No, ma'am." William responded politely. "Great. I'll write the plan up for you." Grundy finished up the printout and handed it to him. "You can go, William, and let's get those science and math grades up higher, shall we?" Weatherbee encouraged. Grundy dismissed him as well. William nodded respectfully at them and headed back out into the corridor. Once outside in the bright late summer sun, William Jones put his battered beret upon his head and strolled slowly towards the center of town.

Back in the Counselor Room, Grundy and Weatherbee studied Jones's file and began looking for their next appointment. "What do you think, Wilbert?" Grundy asked her superior and long-time colleague. "I don't know, Mary. William Jones is a good boy from what I can tell, but he lacks any sort of initiative. I fear that he's doomed to be labeled as mediocre for the rest of his life. How can he be happy ranked three hundred out of six hundred and twenty of his fellow classmates?"

"I've been following his school behavior since he was a freshman." Grundy began. "He never gets out of line, never gets into trouble, never sasses back any teacher, and is always cool and collected. Frankly, it's not normal for a teenage boy at all. I was worried that he may be a loner, and that's why his name came up within the Blossom boy murder investigation. Thankfully, nothing came of it. His mother would have been heartbroken. He seems to have at least warmed up to Betty Cooper, Archie Andrews, and even that smart aleck, Reggie Mantle." She sighed as she saved Jones's file.

"Well, I guess we have that to be thankful for." Weatherbee admitted. "Cooper and Andrews are fairly good role models, Mantle, not so much." Grundy nodded in agreement. "I heard that! Even Mantle will only push it so much, before he backs off." She critiqued. "We have a new student starting in September, Wilbert. Her name is Veronica Lodge. We just received her file. She seems exemplary, and frankly, I wonder why a student of her caliber is enrolling at Riverdale. It seems like a step back from her Texas Middle School." Weatherbee reddened again. He hated to hear anyone talk down the school.

 _The scene switches to a nearby café called Pop's._

William Jones arrives at a popular local restaurant called Pop's. Given the small town clientele of Riverdale, it was nothing short of amazing that Pops could ever make enough money to keep the business running _._ Pops was the solitary owner and worker of the ice cream shop slash burger joint _._ As William enters, he spots three teenagers seated in an old retro style booth near a window facing Main Street. "Hey Jughead!" a dark haired male teen waves and catches William's attention.

"Really, Reggie! Don't call him that!" A blonde haired teen female scolds, wagging her finger at him. "What?" Reggie flashes his best innocent look at her. "He doesn't mind!" The obnoxious teen defends weakly. "Do you, Jug?" Reggie slides over in the booth to allow Jones to take a seat.

"S'no big thing!" Jughead responds. "Just don't call me William." He reminds his classmates. "Why not?" The puzzled blonde asked. "It's just that I prefer Jughead." Jones' face was unreadable. "Anyway Juggie, how did it go with Miss Grundy and the Bee?" The third teen, a red-haired male put down the restaurant's menu to address him. "Bout the same as I expected." Juggie replies. "But this year, our junior year, Grundy and the Bee want me to take some extracurricular activities."

Jones continued to drum his fingers on the edge of the table, apparently reacting to some rock song track playing in his head. "Ouch! That sucks buddy!" Reggie surprisingly empathized. "I got the same song and dance from Grundy and the Bee last semester. I ended up taking some odd ass philosophy class for my EXT. It bores the hell out of me, but it's survivable to get them off my back."

"How 'bout this year, Reg?" The girl asks. "I don't know Bets, I think that I already took every lame ass class the Bee threw my way." Reggie replies. "Arch, did you have to take any EXT?" Betty inquired. "I humped it freshman year, so I had enough credits to keep the Bee off my butt. It looks like this year I'll have to bite it, so I'm sure that the Bee will be hounding me." Archie answered.

"Yeah, me too." Betty adds as she scowled. "I'd rather just get a part time job, real world experience, as opposed to being stuck with some lame EXT. I wouldn't have the time to work. It sucks being poor." Archie, Reggie, and Jughead all nodded in agreement.

Archie's eyebrows rose as he observed Jughead pounding out a recognizable tune on the tabletop. He assumed that it was just a nervous habit, or was it? By now, an older, heavy set man approached the chatting teens. He moved rather quickly even with that pudgy frame. "There he is!" The older man smiled brightly. "My favorite customer!" He took out a well- worn notepad and pen.

"Hey Pops!" The kids chorused. "Are you kids ready to order? You first, Betty." Pops encouraged. "Sure Pops, can I get a cheeseburger, fries, and a coke?" She politely ordered. "Arch?" Pops readied his pen. "Yup. I'll have two cheeseburgers, fries, and a coke. Thanks." Archie shifted the menu across the table. "Reggie?" The business manager hurriedly scribbled down their orders. "Same as Arch, Pops. Thanks." Reggie finished as he cast a sidelong glance at Betty, who was staring at Archie.

"Now for my best buddy. What'll you have, Jughead?" Pops grinned broadly as he flipped the page on his order pad. "Hey Pops! I'm not too hungry, today. I'll just have six cheeseburgers, fries, and a coke." Jughead's spirits seemed to lift as he ordered his food from memory. "Whoa! Juggie! Are you on a diet or something?" Reggie teased their friend.

"Naw! I had a big breakfast, and the Bee ruined my appetite!" Jughead deadpanned. The group laughed hysterically. After Pops left to grill their orders, the four of them chatted pleasantly. Such was a typical day in the life of the Riverdale teens. They had no idea that their world was about to be turned upside down. "Hey Arch, do my eyes deceive me or is there a big limo pulling up outside of Pop's place?" Reggie gazed at the unusual sight. Archie had stopped midway through the bite of his cheeseburger.

"Is the mayor in town? I thought that he was in a downstate conference." Betty remarked as she took a big slug of her coke. Archie gaped as the limo's driver side door opened.


	2. Chapter 2: New Arrival

**Riverdale part 2**

A long black late model limousine slowed to a stop just beyond the drive thru entrance to Pop's Cheeseburgers and Ice Cream Fountain. Reggie and Betty had stopped chowing down to check out the unusual scene. The kids didn't know anyone that owned or had even used a limousine. Once in a great while, Mayor Koch had been seen riding in a limo for special inaugurators events.

"Maybe they're lost?" Archie commented as he took a long sip of his soda. Outside the window, a white haired chauffeur got out of the driver's side door and opened the rear passenger door of the lengthy car. Out stepped a teenage girl with jet black straight shoulder length hair that framed her thin face. Her bangs dropped low over her forehead coming to a stop just above her black eyebrows.

The teen was wearing a red and black spaghetti strap dress, hemmed to just above her knees, which highlighted her long tan legs. The boys gawked as she stepped away from the limo. As they ogled the new arrival, Betty immediately scowled at them. "You'd think that they'd never seen a girl before." She grumbled quietly. "I'd say that they're definitely lost." The usually even tempered teen blonde remarked. "She doesn't have any visible baggage, though." Betty observed.

The girl's black high heels clacked on the cement sidewalk as she edged towards the chauffeur. "Roger, thanks much." The new girl said cordially. "Are you sure that you want me to drop you off here, Miss Lodge?" The driver asked worriedly. "Certainly, Roger, I have to get a good look around town. A girl needs to know where all of the important places of business are in this burg." She sighed.

"I bet this one cow town doesn't even have a decent shoe shop, let alone a good nail and spa place. It's like the town that Starbucks forgot. I don't know why daddy had to actually move here to the middle of the farm fields when he could've just bought them all." She grumbled. "Yes, Miss Lodge." The chauffer said as he closed the door behind her. "I guess that I'll start with this quaint old retro style hamburger stand." The heiress said as she placed her hands on her shapely hips.

"Where should I meet you, Miss?" The driver asked. "I don't know yet, Roger, I'll call you. Why don't you head back to daddy and see if he needs you? It's not as if I can get lost. This may take a while." Miss Lodge glanced around the dusty main street. "On second thought, Roger, I'm not convinced that there's much more to see around here. Are you quite sure that this patch of land passes for the business district?" The chauffer nodded. "Yes Miss. Your father and I have passed through a few times. Unfortunately, we haven't seen many pedestrians." He answered politely.

"Apparently, this town was bustling with activity in the middle of the last century. Throughout the 1960's and 1970's Riverdale and its sister town, Hillsdale, were part of a hub of agriculture with some outlying factory work. Of course that was before the computer age, and the development of the internet. With the advent of on line ordering, the area's decline increased." He informed her.

"By 1990, the major industries of agriculture and textiles left Riverdale and Hillsdale for other areas. The jobs were shipped overseas, and the agriculture was spread throughout the Midwest. Excuse me for being so chatty, Miss. I believe that I'm given to rambling." Roger apologized.

"Oh don't worry about it, Roger. My father and I consider you, Jarvis, and Jeeves as part of our extended family, as well as Mira." Miss Lodge praised as Roger nodded appreciatively. "Thank you for saying so." He added as she faced the hamburger shop. "Anyway I'll call you when I'm ready to be picked up. See you soon." Miss Lodge waved as the chauffer entered the limo and left, tracing the way back to Lodge Manor. "Holy crap!" Reggie exclaimed. "She's coming in!" Betty rested her head in her hand. "Terrific!" She groaned and glowered at the cafe entrance.

The girl opened the old creaky glass doors, and popped into the antique café. She stood at the diner's center, gazed at the fluorescent colored menus posted on the decades old walls. Her large eyes opened wide. "Nicely priced." She praised aloud as she glanced at the checkerboard style floor, red vinyl seats and stools near a galvanized gray steel countertop. The restaurant had a nice retro style 1950's feel to it, she observed silently.

Archie and Reggie's eyes followed the new arrival as she approached the ice cream soda counter. The old galvanized steel mixers were clearly visible a few feet beyond the counter. The antique ice cream soda machinery sparkled in the late afternoon sun. Even Jughead stopped eating his fifth cheeseburger to watch the new girl's approach. Miss Lodge elegantly seated herself on a red vinyl topped stool beside the counter. She spun it playfully, and leaned on the edge of the counter to glance at the kids briefly.

Betty gasped. As far as she could recall, Jughead had never even glanced at a girl before, let alone dated one. What on Earth does she have? The well brought up sixteen year old thought sourly. "Hello?" The Lodge girl smiled brightly at Pops who gawked at her like an adolescent. "Hello Miss. What can I get for you?" He asked pleasantly. Miss Lodge quickly recalled one of the menu items she'd seen.

"Can I have a vanilla and strawberry ice cream sundae, with chocolate syrup, and cherries and nuts on top?" She ordered. "Sure, coming right up. It'll just be a few moments!" Pops gushed over the new customer. "Very good. Thank you." She said as she spun back to face the kids again. Let's see, she examined the other clientele. Two truck drivers, two farmers, an older couple, and yes! Kids my own age! She thought. With that, the visitor got up and walked right over to the still chewing teens.

"She's coming here, Arch!" Reggie announced excitedly. "So I see." Archie deadpanned. Miss Lodge's heels echoed loudly throughout the retro café'. "Hi!" She greeted the stunned teens with a cheery smile. The girl stood next to the teens' table. "Lodge, Veronica Lodge." She said with confidence and extended a petite hand to Jughead. He reluctantly took it without removing the cheeseburger from his mouth.

"Uh hi!" Reggie bit out. "Care to join us?" Archie offered courteously. Betty bit her lip. She wanted to tell the boys no! No way! But it was too late. Veronica slid onto the old retro style vinyl booth seat and ended up smack next to Archie. She unabashedly moved her small frame into the end of the seat, crowding Archie into Betty. "Uh, Archie Andrews." The young red-haired teen began and shook her hand. "Betty Cooper." The slim blonde stated loud enough for everyone to hear.

Betty had been used to all of the attention that the boys had given her. She wasn't too thrilled to have to share the limelight with the new girl. She sighed in resignation. The new girl still needs friends, she mused sourly.

"Reggie Mantle." He reached across the table to shake Veronica's hand. "Jughead Jones." The last boy said, his voice muffled by the last cheeseburger that he'd taken a bite out of. "Jughaid?" Veronica's eyebrows rose. "That's quite the unusual name." She commented. The normally even tempered teen seemed to be a bit embarrassed by the announcement of his name.

"It's more of a nickname." He defended weakly, taking another large sip on the straw of his Coke. "It's positively adorable." Veronica said smiling brightly in an attempt to charm the group. "Ah've just moved here from West Hamilton. I s'pose we'll be classmates at Riverdale High this fall." She quickly made herself the center of attention. Betty noted that the new girl had a slight accent, and she kicked that around for a second. Her best guess was that Miss Lodge was from the southern United States, likely Texas, Georgia, or Louisiana. To Betty's dismay, Veronica continued on with her introduction.

"Ah should explain that West Hamilton is nearest to St. Michael's Parish in New Orleans." Veronica continued to enthrall the boys, further depressing Betty. "Ah grew up in Texas, Louisiana, and North Carolina. Mah daddy's work requires that we move around a lot." She informed the group.

"What does your dad do, Veronica?" Archie asked innocently. "He's like an investment consultant, so he basically looks for areas to invest in for his clients, like small businesses, real estate, or public works. Some companies he's invested in are…" Veronica and Archie's eyes met and suddenly the talkative newbie silenced in mid-sentence. Betty, Reggie, and even Jughead were stunned.

"Ah'm boring you aren't I?" Veronica said humbly. "No, not at all." Archie responded politely. Just then, Pops approached the table with Veronica's sundae, placing the huge dessert before her. Without thinking, she dug into it after thanking him. "Oh my! Where are my manners?" She suddenly realized her mistake. "Did you kids want something else?" Veronica asked as she plopped her expensive looking clutch purse on the table. "It's my treat." Everyone except Jughead politely declined.

Reggie gave Jughead a dirty look. "What?" The teen asked as he finished the last bite of his burger. "I was just gonna say that there's always room for Jello and ice cream." Jughead defended as Veronica laughed. "That there is, Juggie." She said without realizing that she'd just changed his nickname. After which, she plowed through her ice cream sundae.

Betty was reluctantly staring to warm up to their new friend. In this backwater town there were surprisingly a lot of boys to choose from. What were the chances that Veronica would stake her claim on Archie? She wondered silently. "Miss Lodge, what types of classes are you interested in?" Archie asked vaguely. "Ah don't have my schedule set up yet. We've been busy moving into our new house." She replied. "First of all, please call me Veronica or Ronnie, which is what my family calls me, since y'all seem to be into nicknames." She flashed a bright smile at everyone.

The raven haired beauty went back to slurping the last of her sundae. How does she do it? Betty grimaced, silently cursing the day. Ronnie turned her attention to Reggie. "What about you, Reginald?" She flirted. "Do you have a nickname that you like?" Reggie shrugged. "I never really gave it much thought." He admitted. "Can I call you Reggie kins?" She smirked. "Ah don't mean to be condescending, but back in North Carolina, we call our friends and family kin, hence the name Reggie-kins."

Veronica daintily wiped her mouth with the napkin. "Whatever makes you happy, Ronnie." Reggie downplayed her attention. Jughead allowed a quick smirk to cross his normally placid, unreadable face. He had never seen the usually overconfident Reggie Mantle put off and out of sorts by a girl.

Betty fumed as both alpha males had already seemingly been charmed by this new arrival. In the course of an hour her life had been completely overturned. Why did this new girl have to show up here in calm, cool, and collected, backwards Riverdale? She thought sourly.

"How about you, Archie kins?" Veronica continued to flirt, asserting her dominance over the group. "Is that a little too familiar for you?" Archie waved his hand and dismissed her flirtation. "That's fine, Ronnie." He said with some level of disinterest. "So we have Juggie, Reggie kins, and Archie kins." She was relentless. "What about you, Betty? Do you have a nickname that you like?"

Betty bit back her lip, smearing the bright red lipstick shade that she'd purposely worn to meet with the boys. Her heart pounded, and she did her best to stifle a scream. "No, Betty will be fine." She finally answered after forcing her temper to cool down. "Fair enough." Ronnie said as she backed off.

"Do you live nearby, Ronnie?" Reggie fished, turning the new girl's attention back to him. "We moved about forty-five miles northwest of Riverdale Center. It's about halfway between here and Hillsdale." She informed them. "Is that near the old Caleb and Mary Swanson house?" Betty asked the boys in an attempt to turn the conversation back to her. She was mildly successful.

Jughead shrugged, but Archie and Reggie stopped eating and drinking to give it some thought. Before they could answer, Ronnie jumped back into the discussion. "Ah believe that daddy said he'd purchased an old property from a realty company called Swanson and Silverton. That would be our new home." Betty sighed as Ronnie thwarted her attempt at garnering the boys' attention.

"Hey that's a pretty pricey piece of property." Reggie commented as his mischievous side kicked in. This girl must be loaded, he silently guessed. "I s'pose so." Ronnie downplayed. "Daddy did say that he'd gotten a great deal on a recently abandoned property, and had been getting it rehabbed."

Archie's detective like instincts kicked in. "I recall that a few years ago, Caleb Swanson's wife, Mary, had died in a car accident." Veronica's cheery disposition faltered. "How sad. How old was she?" Reggie chimed in next. "Mary was no more than thirty or thirty two years old." He contributed. Finally, this was right up Betty's alley. She'd always been the one to keep on top of things.

"I remember that the papers said that Mary's car accident was suspicious. The weather was fine, she hadn't been drinking, and the car had recently been tuned up." Betty grabbed everyone's attention. "The car had spun out of control and crashed into a tree at the base of a gully. Mary had been killed instantly and soon after, Caleb Swanson moved away, leaving his realty business to his brother, Carl. Everyone assumed that Caleb couldn't bear to live in their house any longer."

"Oh my!" Ronnie commented. "That is a very depressing story." Archie rubbed his thin dimpled chin. "It is, but I suppose Mary could've swerved to avoid a person or an animal and lost control of the car."

"What about the murder of Jason Blossom?" Reggie added the story out of nowhere. "A murder?" Ronnie seemed horrified. "Last year, Jason Blossom was murdered, right here outside of Riverdale." Archie followed the lead. "We only have two or three murders per year around here." Betty said, and for some reason she wanted to keep Veronica from being intimidated. She hadn't thought it through. She could've really emphasized the murder story, and possibly frightened the new girl away.

"That's good." Ronnie remarked uncomfortably. "Ah mean that you only have a few murders per year. Ah take it that Jason Blossom was someone y'all knew?" Reggie nodded. "He was our classmate, a year older than us. He would've graduated next year. The dude was smart, and aced most of his tests. His younger sister, Cheryl, lives near the old Swanson Place. She got a small apartment on her own. She's to be in our graduating class, if she lasts that long given the terrible situation."

"Oddly enough, we've had three murders over the last three years. Three kids from Riverdale High, Freddie Baker, Glen Benton, and last year, Jason Blossom." Archie informed her. "They were killed in three different ways, a shotgun blast, a knifing, and a strangling. They were all killed during the three months that we're off from school." He added darkly. The group was completely silent.

"Bad things come in threes." Betty quoted into the awkward silence. "I didn't mean to bring everybody down." Reggie said sheepishly. "Yeah Reg, my creep factor just went up in multiples of ten." Jughead criticized. "Still, we can't ignore what happened." Archie concluded. "No that's okay. I'm glad that y'all told me. Ah mean ah've lived near big cities before, where the murders are in the dozens if not hundreds, so ah'm no Sorority Susie. Ah'm thankful that nothing really bad happened to our family."


	3. Chapter 3: Lisa Beck Detective

**Lisa Beck, Detective** – Origin part 1 and part 2: _The Guardians of Justice_

A helicopter drone with a camera spins towards a college campus. The small lightweight four propeller style drone was the most common one found in the general population. The digital camera on board took sharp colorful video of the surrounding area. The campus was about three city blocks long and at least another two blocks wide, not including the parking lots that ringed the traditionally conservative Rockdale State College. It was late May, and the spring weather had been exceptionally favorable.

Rockdale was an unremarkable college town with a population of about twenty thousand. Obviously the residential totals varied frequently as college students entered and graduated from the college. Riverdale was the nearest town of any consequence in this part of the state. The drone could barely pick out the sister college campus buildings of Riverdale Community College located just on the outskirts of Riverdale with its limited photo range. RCC was mostly a business and agriculture school.

Rockdale State College was accredited but not well known throughout the academic world. Its tuition, boarding, and course fees were midrange as colleges go. The drone slowed to a hover just above the RSC West Wing, as it continued to photograph the location, and send the video feed info to its mysterious owner. The mystery lay as to why the drone pilot cared about the basically deserted area of RSC Campus. One wouldn't be surprised to find that a young drone pilot would guide the device towards the school sorority or fraternity houses to see what he or she could see, but why photo map an area with no discernable activity? The drone hovered a bit longer before buzzing away.

Inside the main hall of RSC, the students were busily taking their winter semester final exams. The main body of the room doubled as a lecture hall, while the secondary rooms encircling it were mostly used for individual study. Beyond them was the school library, and beyond that was the main entry way. The college staff encouraged the students to always try and enter through the main doorways.

The positioning of the main gate led to a 'Y' shaped fork in the walkway. One leg of the fork led to the RSC West Wing, the other to the East Wing. The lecture hall was built on a slight incline, allowing all students present to view the speaker, and the mass viewing screen behind the lecturer. The sound system was adequate, and it boomed through the hall clearly when in use.

Today the hall was silent as the students took the nerve-wracking final exams. Young Lisa Beck was down to the last ten minutes of her college career. The final four questions were mostly essay, so Lisa was fairly confident that she could ace the important exam. Lisa gnawed on some strands of her lengthy blondish brown hair. Acing this final would guarantee her long sought after degree in Criminology.

However, anything less than perfect, say a 'B' or 'C' could damage her chance to complete her four year degree this spring. There was always summer school, she reasoned. As her dad said, 'always have a backup plan and a backup plan for that'. She could hear his thoughtful words echoing through her mind. She then focused on the last three essay questions and wrote freely and concisely.

The young student had been through a measure of hell this past year and the year before that. Twenty year old Lisa was forced to grow up in a hurry. Early on, her studies had faltered.

First her mother Elian Beck had died in a violent car accident, though Lisa felt that the circumstances were suspicious. Then the year after, her long-time boyfriend, Donny Chase had broken up with her, just when she'd needed him the most. The two had been compatible, but Donny constantly complained that Lisa didn't spend enough time with him.

She had always been driven forward by her father, German detective, Johannes Beck, but after her mother passed, Lisa had made it a point to lose herself in her studies. Donny had simply run out of patience with her. Lisa's bright green eyes were laser focused on her future. She could follow in her father's footsteps if all went well. Johannes, or John, his American name, began his career in Communist East Berlin, learning the ways of the European investigators, and worked his way into Interpol.

After the Berlin Wall fell, Johannes transferred to the world famous Scotland Yard, where he'd met her mother, Elian. They fell in love, married, and emigrated to America, where Lisa was born, a mere forty five minutes from Rockdale. The nearest really big cities were Lakeside City, Gotham, and Metropolis.

John Beck was now a prominent detective in Lakeside City's violent First District. It was quite the step down from Scotland Yard, but challenging none the less. "One more question to go." Lisa muttered quietly enough not to attract any unwarranted attention. 'That was it!' she mentally congratulated herself. Now it was show time! She thought. She would either sink or swim for this semester.

Lisa recalled her troubled and ultimately defeated relationship with Donny. I said I would get my degree and graduate on time! She allowed herself this conceit. She brought the completed paper up to the teacher's desk. Mr. Lawrence was a fine teacher with a background in forensic sciences. He'd come up through the ranks from beat cop to state trooper, and worked his way into complex investigations. He was a bit longwinded but eventually made his point and Lisa had taken extensive notes.

Lisa glanced at her best friend, Kelly McCarron, who was still muttering as she pored over the last few test questions. Kelly had studied long and hard, but actually Criminology wasn't for everyone, and it was still considered an elective, and not required for graduation. Kelly could always find another position within law enforcement if she so chose. "Okay class. Time's up!" Mr. Lawrence declared amidst groans and hisses from the roomful of students. Lisa held in her exuberance. There was no sense in making Kelly feel worse than she already did. Kelly and Lisa handed in the test papers and gathered their things.

Kelly's body language belied her disappointment, as her long, braided, reddish brown hair flopped aimlessly behind her. Lisa shook her head as her friend of nearly fifteen years grumbled profusely. "So Kel, how did you do?" She asked the obligatory question. Kelly wrapped her hands around her throat in a mock choking gesture. "I bloody well choked! I'll be lucky to pass the ruddy thing!" Kelly spoke in an exaggerated Irish brogue when she was upset, excited, or angry.

"Oh it can't be that bad!" Lisa tried to reassure her friend, patting her gently on the back. "Well the good news is that I couldna blown too many of the simple questions, maybe I'll be able to pull a 'C' out o' my butt!" Kelly said as only she could. Lisa smirked as Brad Pennington interrupted the girls' conversation. He appeared to be quite pleased with himself in her opinion. "Ladies! I pulled it off!" Brad boasted.

"I have only two more exams today and I'm home free!" Brad beamed as he gave Kelly a quick up and down look. Brad had a crush on Kelly, but also on Asa, Thelma, Lorraine, Terri, and Brittany! Lisa mentally ticked off the list on her fingers. She assumed that he was a good enough guy, but he partied too much and was always full of himself. He was simply a typical college age male. The girls followed Brad out and made it a point to keep him in front of them.

Kelly had dated Brad a time or two some months back. On one date, Brad had called Kelly, 'Brittany', by mistake, and she vowed never to date him again, and indeed put an ancient Irish curse on him, that her grandmother had taught her. It was something about losing one's hair and waking up as a goat. Lisa chuckled at the memory. The girls continued on towards the outskirts of the campus.

Lisa spied the circling drone by chance, and gazed up at it suspiciously. 'Oh well, boys and their toys', she dismissed the event. "Anyway, I'm glad I took the course." Kelly began. "At least it was an elective and not essential to anything I do. I already took Bowling, Tennis, and Futuristics classes to fill up some credits." Lisa eyed her friend playfully. "What? You didn't take Basket Weaving 101?" She teased, cracking Kelly up. "That class was already filled!" Kelly returned the good-natured barb.

Kelly's true major was Computer Science, or as Lisa often called it, 'techno-geek 101'. Kelly confided that she just enjoyed pushing the buttons, or sliding the mouse for a career, as she put it. Wouldn't that be boring? Lisa often wondered. She enjoyed the possibility of being out in the field and making a difference every day for her possible career path, like her father had done.

Lisa had struggled through her Math classes and had taken the minimum amount of courses required to receive her forthcoming degree. Part of that potential path of failure was due to her conflicts with Donny, she mentally cursed. "So what're you gonna do after graduation?" Kelly asked her friend for the umpteenth time. "Well first you and I are going on a long expensive vacation, Kel! I saved a bunch of bucks over this semester." Lisa cheered up instantly. "Ooh! I'm intrigued!" Kelly acted surprised.

"What exotic cities would you like to visit?" Lisa tempted. "We can take in the Great Corn Festival in Smallville, Kansas, the ribbon cutting ceremony of yet another public library in Metropolis, the hog calling championships in Riverdale, or the latest incarnation of the music fest, Lotta Palookas, in Lakeside City." Lisa taunted. "Oh! Be still my beating heart!" Kelly quipped with an exaggerated bow.

"Is Smallville really a city?" Kelly added sarcastically. "Well, there are more people there than here in this backwater town." Lisa retorted thoughtfully. "Anywhere is better than good old Rockdale. For a budding criminologist, there isn't enough crime here to hold a good detective's interest. I mean how many cheating husbands, cheating wives, cow tippers, drunk and puking students exposing themselves, or stolen laptops can one policewoman handle?" She rambled cynically. "Too true!" Kelly agreed.

Rockdale was a mostly clean city, township, village, or hole in the wall, whatever it was. Nothing of any interest ever happened here, Lisa silently groused. A criminologist would die of old age before she'd get a chance to solve a murder. Lakeside City was definitely the place for an eager law enforcement officer to go, she mused. Johannes Beck's law practice was located right in the bustling downtown area of Lakeside City. Her father would probably have quite a few connections over there.

Lakeside City wasn't exactly like the old wild, wild, west, but a young criminologist, or criminal profiler could likely make a fortune in that town. "I don't know." Kelly interrupted Lisa's thoughts. "Arizona, California, Las Vegas, Florida, or the Caribbean would be nice. There were so many choices."

The annoying drone buzzed lower towards the girls. This time Kelly noted its aerial passage. "Some doofus is playing with his toys again." Kelly growled. "Should I flip him off Lis'?" Lisa laughed loudly. "No. Let it go! We don't need to be plastered all over the campus website this close to graduation." She objected. "I guess you're right." Kelly ignored the looping toy. "You know, if I only had a shotgun!" She whined as Lisa grinned. Just then their neighbor, Carla Talon approached them.

Carla had just left her art class. Lisa waved at their new friend. Carla was a freshman at RSC. She tended to do her own thing, embracing the Goth persona they'd noted in high school. She sported long stringy black hair, overdone black eye makeup, bright red lipstick, black fingernails, and wore vintage black lace dresses, black boots, and an occasional gaudy gold and silver amulet with necklace, Lisa observed.

Today's incarnation also included streaks of bright violet purple in her hair, a single gold earring, and a silver crucifix attached to a faux pearl necklace. The scrappy eighteen-year old was more like an annoying little sister to them. She was harmless, despite her bizarre appearance. 'To each their own' Lisa mused, as she assumed that Carla was trying to make some sort of a statement.

"Yo chickees! How were the finals?" Carla greeted them. "I think I aced my Criminology exam!" Lisa announced as Carla drew closer. "Kel figures that she did well enough too." Carla slowed to a stop as the drone passed above them. She glanced at it with irritation. "Way cool!" Carla said cheerfully. "Congrats! Hey officer can you fix a parking ticket for me?" She added the humorous tease, cracking them up.

"How did you do?" Kelly inquired. "Decent enough! Three more years in this mud hole for me and I'm outta here!" Carla responded. "It will go by fast, enjoy it!" Lisa encouraged. "Yeah, we're about to go out and face the real world. Talk about scary!" Kelly piped in. "Right with ya there sisters!" Carla continued. "Hey! There's a rave at the old Thompson farm tonight. It will be in the barn. DJ Duncan is the main host. Scott's going to be there." Scott was Carla's older brother. He supposedly had a crush on Lisa.

"Yeah thanks! We'll check it out!" Lisa lied. Being groped by drunken, stoned, underage, semi-delinquent boys was not really her thing. Some of the music, if you could call it that was alright, Lisa reasoned. Then again, there wasn't anything else to do in this burg late at night anyway. The finals were done, it was Friday night, and they might as well go, if only to make fun of the oddly dressed little troublemakers, she rationalized. "What time's it start?" Lisa asked her Goth girlfriend.

"It will be at Midnight sharp!" Carla answered. "That sounds good! We'll see you there." Lisa said as Carla turned to go. With a wave, Carla disappeared towards the school entrance. "We will?" Kelly looked puzzled. "Why not?" Lisa countered. "It's the only happening thing going on around here, and we can always make fun of the young'uns." The girls made it through the rest of their tests without incident. Next up was finding something bizarre to wear to the rave. They searched through Kelly's old grandmother's clothes. They finally decided on their outfits. It would be a long night.


	4. Chapter 4: Smallville

**Riverdale / Smallville / Lisa Beck – Earth 1 Season 12**

"Lois, Clark, can you come into my office for a powwow?" Perry White asked loudly enough for the entire newsroom to hear. Cat Grant, Jimmy Olsen, and Linda Danvers quickly glanced down at their laptops, like a group of children afraid of being scolded. Lois and Clark exchanged wary glances. "We'll be right there, Chief!" Lois responded as she got up from her cubicle with Clark at her heel.

They filed into Perry's congested office. "What's up, Chief?" Clark asked as he dutifully after he'd closed the office door. They took their seats across from him. "Kids, let me get straight to the point." Perry began as Lois and Clark mentally witnessed their fledgling careers heading right down the toilet. "The Feds are up my fanny about your connection to Superman and Supergirl."

"The Daily Planet is doing great, in fact, the greatest it has ever done. Lois, your online segments about the benevolent aliens are burning up the internet. Clark, your in-depth interview with Superman alone brought in literally millions of clicks on our website." Perry continued. "The Feds are hounding the brass to distribute the information about Superman and Supergirl secretly to them. In short, they're trying to place a gag order on the Planet regarding any further contact with them."

"Now, so far, the brass is fighting the Feds tooth and nail. We're hiding behind the First Amendment, the rights to freedom of speech, and freedom of the press. The Daily Planet owners threatened to sue the pants off the Fed for violations against the Constitution. They hit us with an audit, but the brass expected that. We made sure our collective noses were squeaky clean."

"Perry, if we cut off communications with Superman and Supergirl based on a threat from the Feds, then why are we still in business?" Lois complained. "I know that sweetie." Perry tried to soften the blow. Perry was the only one outside of Clark that Lois allowed to call her 'sweetie'. "What I'm saying is that I want you two to lay low for a while. You two can take a paid vacation, go hang out in Smallville, or wherever you can attract the least amount of attention. We have to get the Feds off our back. The brass knows that we'll take a huge hit in circulation and on line visitors." Perry added.

"What the brass is suggesting is that we put the info from Superman and Supergirl under our collective hats for a while. We have enough advertisers under contract to keep the Old Gray Lady afloat for at least a decade. Eventually, the advertisers will peel off as our circulation goes down, but we can win them back quickly with one good story about our alien friends."

"I hate this, kids, but that's the reality of the situation. Rather than send you two out to cover every paltry ribbon-cutting and human interest story, I'd like you to keep in contact with Superman and Supergirl, keep them informed on this mess, so they don't think we're losing interest or abandoning them. Store the data you collect in some secret place, and we'll pull it out later when we need it."

Clark scowled. He hated to get caught up in red tape with anyone. Lois glared at the wall behind Perry, masterfully controlling her temper. "Whatever, Perry." She snapped. "We'll go out of the public eye for a while. You are paying us well for this alleged vacation?" She snarled. "No problem, Lois. You and Clark made the Daily Planet what it is today. I know it's a kick in the pants, but what can we do?" He admitted.

"Let's hit the road, Clark." Lois urged angrily. "See you later, Perry. We'll be in touch eventually." She added. "Thanks kids. Please make sure that Superman and Supergirl aren't offended by this mess. I realize that they're visitors here, or more appropriately, refugees here, but they have to understand the politics of the situation. It's all part of the same Washington DC sewage we slug through every day."

"I'll make them understand." Clark said dejectedly. He turned and followed Lois out into the newsroom, as Cat Grant, Jimmy, and the others scattered away from the office, afraid that Perry would call them in next. "Well, Clark, what do you suggest we do with our free time?" Lois asked cynically. "Should we hide out in Smallville for a bit?" Clark shrugged as he sat at the cubicle opposite Lois's.

"I guess so, Lo'. I just hate being so far out of the action." Clark complained. "I know hon'. We still have the Internet to keep in touch with the rest of the world." Lois sighed after she spoke and sat down at her desktop computer. "We'll grab our things after the main newsroom closes down for the night. There's no sense in feeding the rumor mill. Perry said that the official line we'll be that 'Lois and Clark are out on assignment.' He'll feed the same party line to the Feds as well as the brass."

Clark listened halfheartedly to Lois's explanation. He was busy sending Kara a coded e mail to her alter ego, Linda Lee Danvers' Daily Planet SMART phone. They had agreed on a code for any specific change in the routine. The message told Kara to meet back at the Smallville Kent Farm that night after she'd gotten off of work. Kara's main job as Linda at the Planet was to assist Jimmy Olsen with updating the paper's website with photographs and articles and to monitor the visitor clicks.

Kara had received the message just as she began researching unsolved murder cases in the paper database. Most of the cases listed were old, some as old as thirty or more years past. Detectives in general, gave up on unsolved murder cases after a few years of unproductive research. If no new evidence was found, the cold case files were left alone, marked as unsolved.

Fortunately, the Statute of Limitations was usually left open on murder cases indefinitely. Once in a great while, DNA evidence would either convict or exonerate suspected murderers. Kara responded back to Clark with her coded answer. She also downloaded several unsolved murder cases onto a USB that she would remove and hand over to Clark and Lois tonight. It was still public information.

Lois packed up her hard files, USB collection, and laptop in her gym bag while no one was paying her any attention. Clark did the same. He would zip back tonight to pick them up. Lois and Clark finished their current articles after lunch. Perry would give Cat Grant and others the fluffier stories to work on, like the latest Lex Luthor community development project, museum exhibit openings, and political speeches.

Later that night, everyone gathered at the Kent Farm. "That sucks!" Kara, sounding more and more like a contemporary human, commented, after hearing about Perry's decision. "Yeah, it does kiddo!" Lois slapped young Kara on the back. "That's the problem with us humans, we are always political creatures." Kara fed Shelby her dog food, and sped back to the dinner table. "There were always political problems on Krypton, too. Sadly, it added to the destruction of our planet. If everyone on Krypton had cooperated, maybe we could've saved more of our people, BRAINIAC not with-standing, if Zor El and Jor El and Zod would have worked together…"

"I know, Kara." Clark chimed in. "We can't do too much about human politics except strike a balance between getting involved and remaining out of the fray." Lois had finished repacking her travel bag and popped open a bottle of her favorite wine. "Clark, where are we heading, or are we just going to sit around the farm and hang?" Kara zipped up to her room, and back down. She handed the small box of USB to Lois. "I have a suggestion." The Supergirl began. "These are unsolved murder cases."

"Really?" Lois's eyes widened. "I bet there are a lot of potential stories in them." Kara nodded. "I got bored at work and collected, categorized, and sorted the unsolved cases in alphabetical order, and by date and year." She explained. "Wow! I bet that took a while!" Lois praised. "Yup, it took me at least ten minutes!" Kara cheerfully boasted. "I would've been done sooner, except that I burned up a keyboard and had to replace it." Lois smirked. "Oh, if I only had those powers!" She joked.

Lois popped one USB into her laptop. "This one seems interesting. It's not that far from here." Lois quickly read through Kara's summary. "Clark, this unsolved murder case could very well be the work of a serial killer! Three teenage boys were killed in three different ways, in roughly the same area. Here's the creepy part…the boys were all killed on the same calendar date. The murderer was never caught, and there were no witnesses, and no suspects charged or brought in for questioning."

"That sounds like a potential cover up." Clark speed read through the entire case over Lois's shoulder. "Ordinarily, that would be a job for a Cold Case Detective, and it's not really our thing, but it's something to do. No detectives are currently working on it. The local Sheriff, Deputies, and town authorities have all given up on the investigation." He paraphrased after reading the file.

"Here's the odd thing." Kara put in. "The first of the murders occurred only three years ago. Doesn't it seem like the authorities gave up too early?" Lois examined the file closely. "You're right, kiddo. They made some lame excuse about not having enough resources to follow up. That smells to high heaven. I would bet that someone took some hush money to bury the case."

"The latest victim's name was Jason Blossom." Clark recalled instantly. "He was killed barely more than a year ago." Lois read over the summary a second time. "I guess that we should start there then." She suggested. Early the next morning, Lois and Clark headed out to the open highways leading away from Smallville and towards the collection of small agricultural towns in the rural areas of the state.

"Doesn't it seem really slow for you to simply drive a car, Clark?" Lois asked as the turned onto a nameless two lane roadway. It may have had an obscure highway number at some point. "I don't know, Lois, it's kind of nice to slow things down after all that we have been through. Everything has been crazy since Kara and I revealed our existence to the public." He replied.

"Okay, but I can see why they call this fly over country." Lois remarked. "This actually reminds me of the first time I drove into the area around Smallville looking for my cousin Chloe. You remember, when someone lost his alien memory and was found stark naked in the middle of a Kansas cornfield." She grinned as she needled Clark. "Yeah, those were some wild times Lo'" Superman admitted.

"Where are we again?" Lois flipped on the newly installed Queen Industries GPS Locator System that she'd had installed in her car. "We're coming up to a series of crossroads." The car's computer voice responded. "One route leads to Riverdale, one to Rockdale, and one to Hillsdale. Please choose one."

Lois rolled her big brown eyes. "Are you sure that Oliver's new toy, 'Chlover', is virtually impossible to hack?" She asked Clark suspiciously. "I am ninety eight point seven percent unhackable." The female voiced GPS answered. "Thank you Chlover." Lois said as she sighed. "It is not necessary to thank the onboard computer." Chlover said. "It's going to be a long ride." Lois grumbled.

"That depends on which route you decide on Miss Lane." Chlover countered. "Destination time to Rockdale at present speed is sixty seven minutes, Hillsdale is at seventy four minutes, and Riverdale is at seventy seven minutes." The annoying GPS informed them. "That's because Clark drives like an old lady going to church on Sunday." Lois playfully jabbed. "Mr. Kent is driving at the minimal acceptable legal speed for this jurisdiction." Chlover argued as Clark chuckled.

Clark took the turnoff that led to Riverdale, where the latest murder had occurred. He noted that the route to Rockdale was an hour or so away, based on Chlover's calculation, in the opposite direction of the Hillsdale, Riverdale split. "Do you think that this is really worth it, Clark?" Lois asked restlessly. "I suppose, Lo'. Maybe we can solve this murder mystery with our free time." He responded.

"I never thought that we'd be working on another madcap adventure with the Scooby gang in the Mystery Machine, Clark." Lois commented cynically. "I mean after interviewing Superman and the Girl of Steel, chasing mundane murder mysteries seems a bit anticlimactic." Clark sighed. "I know how you feel Lo', but it's better than letting our brains turn to mush watching questionable TV shows back home."

"I guess you're right, honey." Lois admitted. "What the hell? It might even be fun." Soon the rookie reporters slash superhero team, reached the 'entering Riverdale' signpost. "Geez, Clark. I thought Smallville was backwater, look at this place. They rolled up the streets at eight o'clock." The town was mostly dark with the exception of the well-lit Riverdale High School gymnasium. Clark could hear the townsfolk cheering. He assumed it was for the local sports team.

Amazingly, the high school parking lot was full. Many cars had parked along the dirt and pebble access road that led towards the school entrance. "I guess that's why the town seems deserted." Lois pointed out as they pulled up in between a dirt pile and a small hill full of weeds. "Should we go in?" She asked as Clark fished around for Lois's jacket in the back seat. He grabbed it and handed it to her.

"We might just as well check out the folks. It looks like anyone who belongs in Riverdale is at the school. This is actually kind of creepy." Clark admitted. "It reminds me of that first night that I met Lex and was left hanging in the field as the scarecrow." Lois shuddered at the thought.

"Let's not bring that image back. I got a taste of that myself a couple of years ago. That's a memory that I can do without, when crazy clone Lex tried to turn me into a crispy critter. Let's stay positive. Remember that we're on vacation, sort of." Lois chatted as they locked up the car and headed for the gym entrance. "Agreed." Clark said as he took her hand. "Our cover is that we're tired tourists."


End file.
